Telegram-herald., 1887-11-06
CHAPLAIN olssos Gam.
xas szieksxas sssts tsI~.a ss. Tie sical
xau ~sfS 80 Ags2e.


Z - tAs E1aaaz - Las Ex-EsxAs- lIAEALB
lave oee1 paeeh INTERESTED - ne re-
( psrss 81 tss wsrasa ard ehse-1sa u tie
/ Aseksxsa sts1e Frisea. There are soGas
sssy ss1lkins sinsi -zrls-ss saa 6.ssisallAri-
tiss "a those reports. and ia tes rePsrs
/ waica 60 BE- aaSs eoacerusns @tfsiFs eoa-
neesed Nth tAs Nie1lzan Soldiers Hooas-
Tas s.tsaaoa q the comrades " tie g
A. t.. Ihs =. 3 A. Il. and ths Taxpayers
( generally Is invited - these sarisas polnts
VI coAusst.
( appfshsad youf cheeks ~ia tiEgls With
Shane a. von consider how fzr b~.ow toe
( STATE PRISON : lhs Soldiers HoHe IA mzny
psr4ealars 4aI ss501g y staass or s01v-
ssigssf
P.szss follow me pstiently. You viii
notice tnst 4 sndeSyof 10 keep within nay
sphers. AMI consequently notice ONLY
I the coattast between tie reii sioGs aspects of
The two institutions far one, tie Hone
/ of the States naost hoasred wards. 10 WHOM
il Is indebted for Ks very eKisIeno., aud
| the other Ias place of C0annstnenI fO< the
criminal class The lowest ranks of 50.
eiety. This vast cbsssn otdiitefence should
/ be kept ia uIinc constantly. The soldiers
| Home sa0uld notbe coui0anded with other
institutions ia the stale. Ii sl&nds OIL
different plane.
Ii : unique in il. relations 10 the State.
| From tae very necessities of tue case your
care oyer IL. and slrOylsiOns for it should
/ be regulated by the sacred and aoDls res
! possibilities which this home has now
| placed in your keeping.
A procedure that would be admissible
/ Ia State Poor House. OF Is psrnissabie ia
the PeniteDtlay is totally unthinkable Ia
the Michigan Soldiers Home. When you
| allow men 10 rob Us or III treat as they are
| striking very close 10 your heart
strings, and your Michigan pride ia
| your Michigan soldieTy, unless
all your representative spokesmen-Goyer-
nors BiAis, Alger aud Luce. and other lead
! ing men nave been meanly ysporizing.
| wonder that all who are connected with or
concerned in the Soldiers Hoss are so
| slow TO see aud feel the Immea leverage OF
distinction which this Home possesses.
Now, with this conviction in our minds,
| let Us look at few contracts between this
| Home aud the penitentsry.
The inspectors report religious material
| on hand In chaplain's department. states
| prison, 10 the amount OF $l.l9+.45. The
| Soldiers Home. after having been running
| nearly three years, Las on band. Ons
Bible, worth IS. seven Gospel Hymns"
worth 80 cents. Total. S555.
The Inspectors report on hand in the
| prison lDrarf, III Dlties huu nluSsC DOCKS,
| SSl5.29. They also report: Expenses an
1854 ChsplsIn's department. S29ilT; ex-
| penses in 1885, Chapla'n's department,
| S531.11. Total. Two years. SS25.25. This Is
exclusive oil Chaplains salary. On the
same basis our report for three years is
about 100000!
Ii is very refreshing. however. to read in
! the Warden's report The present Chap
| lain is one of the hardest worked
| in ha Thfs
| shows the warden has a soul. OF
course it would not be modest in me TO
| remark that there is q striking resemblance
| in this respect between the chaplains Of the
two institutions under review. The fact
has evidently not got out very largely and
We must wait. Ii may be that sometime
| somebody may be kind enough 10 say Of
the chaplain of the Soldiers Home what
the warden of the State Prison says Of his
chaplain: 81 sincerely hope that both the
chaplain and his extraordinary work may
| in the future be better appreciated. The
people at large. and the church as well. /
fear, have but feeble idsa OF the great work
that is being accomplished by his efforts"
But of this a little further on. This refer
ence 10 the feeble" comprehension Of the
Church of the work done In the Peniten-
tiary is remarkably supported by our eI-
perience here.
During several months we held religious
services regularly Sabbath morning and
evening. We held four evening meetings
during the week part OF the time, and part
of the time two evening meetings a week.
We have averaged one funeral week for
several months, but do not think that
nifty persons, all told. exclusive OF the in
mates, have attended during all this time
Apparently the church people OF Grand
Rapids and vicinity have not yet heard
that there is Soldiers Home near by, or
that the veterans have any souls to save. or
| to lose. Strange, isn't it? Another alter
native, however, presents itself.
The entire official force of the Home
found out several months ago that Mighty
| Poor Preach" was being furnished by yoar
taxpayers and they have not been to Sab.
| bath service siDcel
| It may be that fact has also leaked out
| around the vicinity, and accounts for the
| utter neglect of our services by the church
going public.
This brings to mind the old story Of the
colored preacher who was being condoled
for the mesgerness of his salary: Mighty
poor salary, Elder. you re'geiting, amt you,
said his friend. Yes, was the reply, but
my dear brudder, its niigtty poor preach
General Pierce, Ma. Long AID the rest are
gentlemen and scholars. and have of course
| been used to hearing sermons that cost
something and are thus worth something.
| but when they found out that the state
only paid the Chaplain OF the Soldier
Home, about tbr>c CENTS a sermoa taking
into account other services rendered. $500 a
month being all Il did my hin for
| months. We need not oeua them. They
| are entirely excusable. Hoe far would yoa
| go, you taxpayers. TO hear a sermon which
distinguished Governors AMI Generals de
clared 20 be worth only cenfs pi>ctf
But on the other hand how much brain
sweat can you expect Ofa Chaplain for such
a remuneration
Here again we meet the same startling
contrast between the Chsplains OF the
| two institutions.
The state Prison Chaplain reports f6 ser.
| mons for tho year. saiarv. 81 90 Thf
Michigan Soldiers Home Chaplain nearly
twice as many sermons in niae months
sad his Postmaster and Librarian ss well
Salary. SiN. Doubles the inmsles
! help much more badly than tas
inmates OF tie Soldiers Hone. but there 4.
| hardly this much difference. No doubt tbs
quahtv Il sermons furnished hy the :Fc
men differs as their salaries differ. We ars
aot finding fault on this score. but il doe.
seem We are entitled - as good preaching
- much religions literature as much cars
for our religions welfare ~ the so-calicd
| friends % ths vetsf&us. IS tho convicbs n
tie state lriao0 have recesYed-
ladies' aud gentlemen haze cesae aeTs ~
/ the Sabbath - hundreds sad 81 t8e xerV
| hour dgr rng Ehich religions services wsr'
being heid and instead ~ taking parf witt
us in Iavlae woEnip and fhus saOTin.
! their rssTecf snd regard fgr rz they fsf'
/ come ir hr s4uafs dn-f-z services .ss..